Kagura's Hope
by LadyofLemons
Summary: Her greatest hope would be used against them all could they save her in time?
1. Chapter 1

Dark permeated the once bright and happy estate where Naraku and Kagura looked in on the inutechi through Kanna's mirror.

"Remember Kagura you have less than 6 hrs to find and complete your mission. Ince the potion wears off you and the miko will revert back to your original bodies. Should you fail me in this Kagura… I don't have to tell you that you won't like the results." Naraku purred in her ear as he pressed a vial of viscous into her hand.

Kagura shuddered she hated Naraku as much as she wanted Sesshomaru. Her master had found out and was going to use her to ruin the miko's relationship with the inuhanyou. She felt a bit bad about using Kagome's body as she was about to.

Weeks before on a recognizance mission for Naraku, Kagura had witnessed something she never thought possible. The great and powerful Lord of the West had been peeping on the mortal miko who belonged to his hated half-brother. Kagura had been so upset that she had flown back to Naraku's compound and cried to her sister Kanna. Kagura wasn't sure if Kanna had told Naraku or if in her heart ache she had failed to make sure they had been in private but not a few days later Naraku had contacted a dark miko and had come up with a plan.

The bastard had been insidious he would hurt every party involved but himself of course. Kagura would get a small and fleeting glimpse at that which she so desperately wanted. Sesshomaru would as well because surely the miko would see the taking of her body while it was in the possession of another as a betrayal. She wouldn't stay his. Inuyasha would toss the miko aside for mating with his hated half-brother.

The miko would be left unprotected and unprovided for. She would play right into his plans. He could put the final rift in the groups bond and he would win.

"Go to the prepared room and take the potion."

Kagura pushed herself up and left the room with as much grace as she could muster. She could either do as Naraku commanded or he would crush her heart quite literally. She had no choice in the matter she either managed to seduce the demon lord or Naraku would kill her. Kagura walked down the long dark hall to the designated room.

They had spent a few days and plenty of money creating this twisted chamber to Naraku's needs. He was going to house the miko in her body in what amounted to a princess's room the entire place was decked out in the most luxurious items they had been able to find that is except for the very long chains that attached to the middle of the floor.

Kagura walked over to the pillow next to the cuff of the end of the chain and sat. She clasped it closed around one ankle and locked it. Kanna walked into the room after her. She would have to give her little sister the key and once more put everything on the line. All she ever wanted was her freedom, now even what was once her ultimate goal was perverted to meet Naraku's needs. She had never wanted to be the catalyst of so much hurt and now all she could do was make the most out of it.

Kagura tossed the key to the cuff to her sister and took the cork out of the glass vial and looked at the slightly pink swirling liquid. It was the consistency of honey and she had to take every last drop of it. It could not be deputed into any other liquid or the effects would diminish. Her delicate nose wrinkled when she got a slight whiff of the contents. It was cloyingly sweet and had a sharp scent of spice. She allowed the thick liquid to gather in her mouth she would have to endure the taste of it until it was completely clear from the vial.

The pink liquid pooled on her tongue and she swallowed. It spread and warmed as it traveled down her throat. She longed for a drink of something to clear the taste but then she would have less time to make sure she was able to achieve her goal she had to get all of the liquid down and allow the spell to take effect before she could clear her mouth of the taste. The last drop finally passed the lip of the glass and she felt it hit her tongue she swallowed thickly and put the stopper back.

Her eyes grew heavy and her eyelids drooped, and her vision blurred.

'It has started.' Kagura closed her eyes and let the spell take control once she awoke in the miko's body she would have to attract the demon lord and make him believe she was the actual miko. She couldn't allow him to suspect anything. If he was watching her while bathing he was likely watching her at other times as well. He might notice if she didn't act as he thought the miko was inclined to act. She thought about how the miko would act if she knew he was watching, and how she would invite him to her bed.

Kagura woke up to a white haired inu hanyou yelling at her to "Get off your lazy ass."

"Inuyasha. Must you always be so brash? That is no way to speak to a lady." She replied. Kagura sat up and looked around. She was inside the miko's strange night roll. The entire pack was sleeping around the now died down fire. The monk and the slayer were laying in each other's arms and the fire cat and kitsune pup were sleeping to one side. Quickly she undid the strange fastening that closed the sleeping roll. She stood and collected the miko's supply bag.

"Now why don't you wake the others so we can get on our way. I can sense a shard to the west of here."

"Keh, that's the Bastard's territory." the idiot hanyou crossed his arms over his rather muscular chest.

"And? WE must retrieve the shards at all costs there is a shrd in the west. Would you allow your fear of your brother to keep us from what is ours, Inuyasha?" She needed to make him go toward his brother. It would make sure the demon lord's attention was where she wanted it. On her, but not before she was ready.

She needed the hanyou to tread lightly for a little while, but for now simply going in the correct direction was enough.

'What is happening to you in my place Kagome?' She thought as she walked into the cover of the woods to change into appropriate traveling clothes. She ducked behind some trees and began to dig through the miko's merger belongings. Way down at the bottom of the bag there was a set of traditional miko clothing but that wouldn't be a normal thing for Kagome to wear so she disregarded it she found the green skirt and white blouse the girl always wore and quickly put it on. She stuffed the night wear into the bag and walked back into the camp.

"Well let's go we have shards to collect." the rest of the pack was slowly getting their gear together she allowed them to go at their own pace, she didn't want to come across the demon lord until the sun was near setting. The less time he spent watching her the easier it would be for her to seduce him. He didn't always seek her out but hopefully the lure of drawing closer to him would catch his attention it would be a dangerous balancing act through out the day. She would have to act like the miko enough that if Sesshomaru was watching he wouldn't suspect anything.

"Kagome aren't you gunna make us breakfast?" Kagura turned to see the little kitsune kit bound up to her, he jumped up onto her shoulder.

"I suppose a growing kit needs food regularly." She knew how much the kit meant to Kagome and she wouldn't cause more strife for the miko then she had to. "So what do you want to eat?" she plucked him from her shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Can I have Pocky, PLEASE?" he was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Well go get it then." She wasn't sure what pocky was but the kit did and if he was fed her job was done.

"You are going to let him eat candy for breakfast Kagome-sama?" the monk asked obviously surprised.

Kagura waved him off. "He will only be little for a short time candy for breakfast surely couldn't damage the kit once in a while."

"You are right of course Kagome-sama." He went about collecting his things and digging into his own rations of salted jerky.

The kit came back with a brightly colored box in hand. "Will you open it for me?" He held the box out to her and she took it and studied it. She saw were it opened and pried the odd paper apart inside was a shiny bag of some unknown material.

"The candy is in here?" she was unable to stifle the question.

The kit cocked his head to the side. "Yeah it's in there, just tear it open it's ok to use your teeth."

Kagura pulled out the bag and saw a small tear in one corner so she grabbed it and opened it up. "It is not proper to open things with one's teeth. "

"Right sorry Kagome." The kit apologized. He was again practically bouncing on his little fox toes. Not spoiling the kit would be difficult. He was cute and he had a certain mischief about him that Kagura liked.

"Ok enough of that. We have shards to collect." Kagura handed the kit the open package but not before she grabbed one of the odd thin sticks out of the bag. She began walking due west. They were far enough away that they should be just nearing the actual border once they stopped to camp that's when she would have to seduce the demon lord she both dreaded and anticipated what she had to do.

Sesshomaru raced through the trees. He could sense her coming closer they had been going back to the village by the God tree. They should not be moving closer. The pack had a pattern to its search. Each time they would sweep from east to west and then back. A deviation from the pattern meant trouble. Or she was seeking him out finally.

He was near the pack when they stopped to take the afternoon meal. They sat in a field completely out in the open. The miko was digging through her pack. She straightened and tossed the kit a package of what he could smell was smoked dried meat. Standard travel gear but not the usual for an afternoon meal for this pack. The miko usually handed out packages of what she called "trail mix" or "energy bars." But they had been at the end of the pattern when they turned around perhaps they were running low on supplies.

Kagura felt an odd tingle go up her spine. Sesshomaru had arrived, sooner then she would have liked. Kagura had to assume that none of the other members of the group could sense him. They made no indication of wariness that an enemy was near. And they had always been enemies, and despite the hope she was sure Sesshomaru had if being more to the miko she was about to wreck it all. Her stomach cramped with guilt.

"Kagome? Are you ok?" The kit asked his little tail fluffed up as he sniffed the air. Kagura sighed.

"I am fine Shippou." She had learned the names of the group members while they walked this morning. "Let's keep going. The shard is still to the west."

Kagura put the pack back on her shoulder and started walking. As long as they kept traveling she could be Kagome. But she wasn't confident in her ability to act like the miko in a true conversation. She needed to keep them moving.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagone woke up feeling strange. Every noise seemed to be amplified. She could smell everything and her head pounded.

She looked around the room. It was richly appointed. There were silk pillows and rice paper walls a fine bone tea set graced a low table not far from where she was.

She shifted her legs and felt the weight of a restraint. Her eyes shot to her ankle and they wided when they say the thick locked cuff wrapped around it. She was wearing a familiar kimono.

"Hello little miko I see you have finally woken up." Kagome's head snapped back as he delivered a sharp blow across her face. Her vision dimmed.

"I can not wait to see just how far I can push that little human mind of yours." Her mind was a rush of pain and slowly she got her eyesight back. Naraku somehow Naraku had gotten her. But how?

"Surely by now my sweet Kagura is well on her way to alienating all those you hold dear. She will ruin your body and reputation and I shall ruin your mind." Naraku ran his disgustingly soft hand down her now bruised cheek.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome's mind felt like mush. She knew she was with Naraku but why would Kagura be with her friends.

"My sweet Kagura has taken over your body for the time being. She has strict orders to ruin you Ka Go Me. It's just an added benefit that the best way to ruin you also makes her heart bleed. Kanna!" His long knobby fingers gripped her hair and jerked her head up so she was looking at the door.

Kanna walked in followed by a new incarnation as well as Kohaku. The new being looked very much like Kagura did her hair was perhaps a bit longer and her eyes were pink rather then Kagura's scarlet red.

"Bring her here." Naraku said calmly. Kohaku used his grip on the woman's arm to direct her infront of Kagome.

"Shall I show you what I will do to Kagura when she returns?" He allowed his hand to fly. He backhanded the before now silent woman.

The Kagura look alike cried out and fell to the floor. "Please please not again.." she started to mumble under her breath.

"See how she fears me Miko? She knows I will be merciless in my use of her. I you wondering who this one is since you are in Kagura's body?" Naraku kneeled next to the sobbing woman.

"She is simply another puppet they do have their uses. But this fear this anger and hurt thats all Kagura's these feel everything their original felt and then once destroyed the original feels everything that happened to the puppet. Fun little trick that. Take her to the next room and toe her up."

Kagome panted she was trying to process everything going on around her. She was inside Kagura's body and Kagura was inside hers. She could only hope that Kagura wasn't too cruel to her. Kagome watched as the expressionless Kohaku drug the puppet woman in the next room. There was a large x shaped wooden structure there were cuffs at top and bottom of each arm.

Kohaku tore the flimsy robe off the puppet and shoved her toward the restraint. He fastened her wrists first. Kagome could see the scars littering her back. Raised red and white flesh marred the large spider mark.

He yanked her ankles apart and cuffed them. Kohaku stepped back and retreated to the doorway hands clasped behind his back.

"Since this little bitch seems so enjoys it, I think we shall start there." Kagome saw him reach for a brutal looking cat of nine tails each end had a sacred jewel shard tipping it. "Do you like my toy miko? The shards make it cut so much deeper than a normal one. And even Youkai flesh is marked by it." he ran his finger tips almost lovingly down her naked back. The puppet shivered she had not stopped mumbling but Kagome couldn't allow herself to focus on what the poor thing was saying. It was all she could do to watch the horrible display.

Naraku's arm raised and lowered in quick succession a resounded smack was heard followed by a blood curdling scream. Kagome felt hot tears run down her face and she struggled and screamed along with the puppet. She had to stop this, she had to save Kagura. She couldn't allow this to keep happening.

Over and over his arm raised and lowered he made vivid red slash marks on her back. Bright jewels of blood welled out and slipped down her back in trails. Soon blood ran down the backs of her thighs and pooled under her feet.

The torture seemed to go on forever until both Kagome and the puppet could do more then pant and shiver. Naraku tossed the cat of nine tails aside and walked over to Kagome.

"Do you like my little entertainment Kagome. I will do all this and more with my sweet Kagura when she comes back once once all your allies have turned from you in disgust you to will become my play thing." He tossed her aside and walked out of the room. He couldn't have his puppet dying on him before he showed the girl all that awaited them both.

Kagura felt a strange tingle start in the base of her spine. She had come to realize that it was how the girls powers manifested when youkai was near.

"Inuyasha incoming enemy." Kagura called out and grabbed the kit. She didn't know how to use the Miko's bow and her powers wouldn't work in this body. A large boar youkai broke through the trees and charged at the group.

Sango threw Hiraikotsu at the giant beast but it was quicker than any of them anticipated. The Boar charged for Kagura and Shippou she ran and threw herself to the right. The youkai's charge took him past her but the beast turned and charged again.

Kagura was unable to get up in time and all she was able to do was roll. The boars sharp left tusk pierced through her thigh and she screamed. She was stuck to the beasts tusk as he ran and thrashed his huge head. Her pained scream split the air as it threw her from its tusk.

She rolled to a stop and looked for the kit that had been thrown from her arms. Her eyes frantically searched the ground as she drug her body behind her. 'Damn this human body and it's limitations. If I was in my own I would never have been injured and the Kit would be fine.'

"Shippou where are you?" Kagura called out, she didn't see the boar line up for another charge at her. She felt large strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her away from the ground. The sudden change in speed and the blood loss made her vision blur. Her eyes struggled to remain open, but she couldn't let the miko's child get hurt he was her responsibility since she was the one who took the girl from him. "Shippo? Where are you?" her eyes fluttered up into her head and she saw no more.

Sesshomaru looked down at the girl draped over his arm. Something was not right. Why hadn't she fought? He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with his miko. But he had other more pressing matters to attend to, with the girl now out of the way the kit was in danger.

The massive boar kicked up clumps of dark forest soil as he turned and charged for the unprotected kit. Rescuing the kit meant endangering the miko, however he knew she would never forgive him if he allowed the child to die.

He tossed Kagome over his shoulder and drew Bakusaiga, he sent a wave of corrosive energy at the charging boar. The green light encased the beast and quicker than human eyes could see flesh and bone were melted into nothing. He lowered the girl to the ground she was losing an immense amount of blood, the flow had to be stopped or she would simply bleed out. He took off his outer top and quickly cut it into strips. He needed to bind her wounds quickly. The sweet coppery scent of her blood was so thick in the air that he had to breath through his mouth and even then he could almost taste it.

There was a huge hole in the girl's thigh her deep red blood oozed slowly from it now she didn't have much left to lose. They were both covered in the cooling sticky liquid. As quickly as he could, he wrapped the strips tightly around the wound. Even with immediate attention she would likely not make it. Unless she woke up and could use her own powers to heal the wounds, he feared he would lose her.

Kagome's blue eyes fluttered as he applied more pressure to keep the blood in her body where it needed to be. She sat up with a scream as he once again pushed down to staunch the blood flow.

"Miko! You must use your powers to heal yourself."

"Sesshomaru-samma I.. I can not." 'NO. No. It was all going to be for nothing!' Kagura felt all her hope drain from her as the miko's blood left the body. Her eyes searched his and she wondered if he could be trusted to keep his word.

"You must!" He shook her slightly as her eyes drooped once more.

"I can't I am not the miko. I don't know how." Kagura confessed, it could hurt her no more. She couldn't fix this fragile human body, but if Sesshomaru was to be believed the miko could do so herself if she could get back to it.

"Who are you? Answer me Bitch!" He snarled and snapped in her face all the while pressing harder on the wound trying to keep the blood in her body.

"Kagura" she gasped as he applied more pressure.

"The wind witch," he all but spat at her.

"Yes and I can help the miko but only if you promise me something." her strength was fading but she needed to get his promise his word.

"Name it witch."

"You will come for me. You will not abandon me to him. You will protect us both to the best of your ability."

"If she is agreeable I shall make it so." He would not force this on his miko.

"You will get me from Naraku whether she agrees or not!"

He nodded once.

"I want your promise."

"You have it." he could hear her heart beat getting weaker by the moment. They were running out of time!

"Fine I will leave this body and allow her back but remember you must not leave me there with him. You must not!" Kagura closed her eyes and willed her youkai back into her proper body once she was back in hers she could force KAgome back to her rightful one. But there would be a handful of moments were Kagome's body held no soul.

Sesshomaru saw Kagome's kungs stop working and shortly after her heart stopped beating at all. His eyes frantically searched for any sign of life. He felt his throat begin to close as he struggled to keep a whine from escaping.

The miko's body jerked up as she took a deep rattling breath.

"Kagome? Kagome?" his voice was harsh and rough. "You must heal yourself there is no time."

She slowly called on her powers and a wash of pink light enveloped her body. The large gash in her thigh began to knit together. Her body flooded with new blood as it struggled to heal the damage the boar had caused. The strips of silk became saturated with new hot blood.

The smell hung heavy in the air thick coppery rich. Now that he knew she would be fine his beast was shaking at its bars. The scent of her blood filling the clearing clouded his mind and he only started to come back to himself when he heard the seemingly distant yelling of his half brother.

"OI' Bastard is Kagome all right?" Inuyasha ran over to the blood soaked pair. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." Inuyasha started to panic when he saw the sheer volume of blood that soaked the ground around his best friend. His hands fluttered over her uselessly. He wanted to touch her and make sure she was fine but this much blood meant a major injury and he couldn't bare to hurt her worse.

Kagome finally felt strong enough to open her eyes, they landed on Sesshomaru kneeling at her side. His once white haori torn up, littering the ground around him. Blood soaked into the once white silk of the knees of his hakama. She launched herself into his chest.

"Shhhh." he tried to soothe the distraught woman in his hold.

"We have to go get her we can't leave her there. He does terrible awful things to her. We can't leave her there." Kagome could not stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. She clawed at his inner haori. She couldn't get the vision of all those horrible things out of her mind.

"We won't leave her there, I promise." Sesshomaru smoothed her hair back from her face. "We will go get her."


End file.
